The present invention relates to a catheter. More particularly, this invention relates to a coronary artery angiographic and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (hereinafter referred to as "PTCA") guiding catheter, a balloon catheter for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, a balloon catheter for thrombus and embolus removal and a left coronary artery angiographic and PTCA guiding catheter.
Coronary artery angiography is conducted to examine the state of blood vessels of the heart. This coronary artery angiography is conducted by inserting various kinds of angiographic catheters into both the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery which derive from the aorta. Examples of such angiographic catheters are the Sones type which can be inserted into both the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery, and the Judkins type and the Amplatz type which each have two shapes for insertion into the right coronary artery and the left coronary artery.
An angiographic catheter which can be easily inserted into each of the right and left coronary arteries and which can be inserted, with one catheter, into both the right and left coronary arteries is disclosed in, for example, the Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. HEI 3-198868 and in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. HEI 7-308384.
On the other hand, there is a balloon catheter for thrombus removal, control of bleeding, angiography and arrest of bleeding during an operation, or expansion for arterial stenosis and opening and expansion for angiostenosis. This balloon catheter is inserted into, for example, a lumen of a guiding catheter and is guided to an object region.
However, during operation of the conventional catheter, may the end of the catheter collide with the inlet of a coronary artery or inner wall of a blood vessel. If there are repeated collisions in one region, that region may be injured or dissociated.
Accordingly, some ideas have been adopted such as construction of the end of the catheter with comparatively soft resins. However, the above-described problem has not been solved.